


We are Bulletproof : the Eternal

by octoberish



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Tuck Everlasting Fusion, Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gender-Neutral Hange Zoë, Hange Zoë's Experiments, Immortality, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Mafia Boss Erwin Smith, Nonbinary Hange Zoë, Suicide Attempt, Therefore, but he wants to, levi literally can’t die, maybe smut idk lol, not really historical but levi has legit been alive since 905 so, whatever that tag means, yes i named this after a bts song
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:02:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29252655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/octoberish/pseuds/octoberish
Summary: "I call it the Everlasting Affect"-in which Levi Ackerman is an immortal who only wants to die and Erwin Smith is a mafia leader who loves to uncover secrets. They strike a deal where Erwin has to figure out how to kill Levi and in turn, Levi will allow him to research him and his immortality.
Relationships: Levi/Erwin Smith
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

Levi Ackerman didn't know why he was stuck in this situation, but considering he's been on Earth for over a thousand years, he's really fucking irritated that he doesn't. You think after about a hundred he'd have it all figured out by now. But no, here he is, still stuck in this damn hell called living.

Talk about a bad case of _Tuck Everlasting,_ huh? Only, in this version, there was no fucking magical pond he drank out of. Nope, he just simply lived and couldn't stop doing so. And trust him, he's tried to stop. Many. Many. Times.

By attempt fifty five, he gave up. Sometimes he tries just for fun. To see if maybe it would work. Jump off a bridge, take a shit ton of pills, drink too much. It never does.

He was still very much breathing the shitty air of Boston. Fucking Boston. Unbelievable. In about twenty years, he'll have to move again. 

Fucking immortality and shit. 

Stupid, if you ask him.

Levi was getting awfully exhausted of this whole living thing. Maybe in the beginning, when he was a young boy— around 22 before he stopped aging, he was actually a nice person. From what he could remember, he was a lively, kind-hearted soul. But now, after seeing his family and cycles of friends die, he only felt bitter. 

But maybe that was just because he, as an immortal, felt an obligation to put himself through the stupidest shit sometimes. He lays low, because fuck, he's not becoming anyone's science experiment if he were found out. Every twenty or so years, when people would start to realize he hadn’t gained a single wrinkle, he'll move and make a new identity. Right now, he was Joe Turner(what an ugly fucking name). 

But in his mind, he's Levi Ackerman and he always will be. And Levi Ackerman was a kind person with ethics and morals that Joe Turner most certainly did not have. Fuck, Levi hated this whole entire identity crisis thing. 

Because that's how he found himself here, taking multiple bullets for a man he doesn't know. All Levi wanted was a nice cup of hot, steaming black coffee. Yet, here he was, with five bullets in his body. Damn, it was way too fucking early for this shit. 

It started out as a nice morning. Levi woke up, took a shower, got ready for work, and left to go get his daily coffee. But of course, a girl just had to scream from an alleyway. And of course, he just had to run towards it. Turns out, there was a full on gang war or some shit because next thing Levi knew, he was throwing himself in front of the last man standing (bodies pooled all around them— Levi willed himself to ignore the pungent smell of blood), who was about to get shot at. The man shot at the enemy who was distracted because of Levi, the bullet hitting him square in the head and he fell to the ground. 

That was nice and all, because now they were both safe and Levi’s pain wouldn’t be in vein. 

Because contrary to belief, Levi can feel pain and shit, he can feel it well. "Fucking fuck I hate this fucking world so much, fuck everyone and fuck the guy who shot me, and most certainly, fuck you, Eyebrows."

The blond, burly man who he had saved rose a bushy eyebrow (truly living up to the name, you fucking giant). "I'd rather get you to a hospital but maybe after, when you're all healed up I'll take you up on that offer."

Levi hissed in pain as he sat up against the building, his body covered in the dark shadows. "You can fuck right off. No hospitals."

"You were shot five times. I think you need a hospital." The man spoke slowly, inching closer to Levi who was writhing on the dirty(fuck this, of course he had to not only be shot, but laying on the filthy ground of all things) cement.

"Nope, I'll be fine. You can run along. I really don't want to be caught up in another one of those gun fights because of you, thanks." 

"What about a private doctor?" The man insisted, kneeling down in front of Levi.

"I said no already, take a fucking hint." The short man groaned, feeling his body's defense mechanism turn on. "About fucking time," he muttered.

"C'mon, we're going to Doctor Jaeger and he'll take care of you." The man's arms started to wrap around Levi, and he got ready to pick him up. 

"Fucking hell, I'm immortal, you giant. Now let me go!" 

Oh.

Oh shit. He's been on the Earth for over a thousand years, has never let the secret out past his lips, and now here he is, blurting it out to some stranger with pretty blue eyes and muscular arms. Fuck. Just his luck. 

Kill him now.

Oh wait. You can't. 

But the man only scoffed, lifting the shorter up. Pain flared up in Levi's stomach. Which fuck you body, if you're immortal, you should at least let me not be able to feel pain. "You better take me on a date first before you pick me up like this or better yet, maybe tell me your name or I don't know, thank me for saving your sorry ass," Levi said sarcastically. 

The man gave him a look, "you nearly killed yourself to save my sorry ass."

"Trust me, if I could've killed myself from this, I would have begged that guy for more than five bullets in my body."

"That's..."

"The truth." Levi finished.

A clanging sound rang in the ally. Followed by four more. "Oh thank Eternity."

The pain subsided, and now all that was left was a slight headache and the blood stains on his clothes. Shit, that was a new shirt too. 

"Let me down now before I make you," Levi threatened, pressing a knife that he pulled out from under his boot against the man's neck. Levi was no saint and he never claimed to be. Living this long, you get to learn a couple of things. One of them being how to survive. 

Ocean eyes widened, staring at the raven with awe, or was that horror? Even after a thousand years, Levi was never good at reading people. Slowly, the man placed Levi on his feet.

Levi, despite panicking on the inside, kept a nonchalant demeanor as he rolled his shoulders and stretched. "Damn, that was a lot more painful than jumping off a building. 0/10 recommend."

The man couldn't take his eyes off of the little strip of belly that showed while Levi stretched. It was where he got shot. Except there were no holes, and the bullets lay on the ground next to his feet. Yeah, this was a problem.

"You just got shot. Five times." The man finally stated.

Levi snorted, "good observation, Einstein."

"There's no bullet holes."

"Glad to know you can see."

"You weren't kidding when you said you're immortal," the man finally concluded, his eyes shining brightly. Oh no. Levi knew that look. It's how four-eyes gets whenever they have a new experiment. And he was so not going to be that.

"Not even a little. Anyway, I missed my coffee for this so I'm leaving. I hope to see you never." And with that, Levi left the dark alley way, wrapping his black jacket around him tighter to hide any evidence of blood. Once he was in the sun, he broke out into full sprint, his heart racing and lungs burning. 

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

He liked it here in Boston. Sure, it wasn't the best, it was crowded and smelly but it held some of Joe Turner's closest friends. And now he had to go and kill Joe Turner, who he most definitely don't want to until about twenty years. 

Tears of frustration pricked at his eyes. He hasn't cried in a hundred years, since his last close friend died in 1920. From then on, he stopped socializing and making friends. He was sick of losing them, of watching them die while he remained on without them. It was only these past four years where he allowed himself to have friends again. Shitty glasses wormed their way into his life, bringing along Mike and Moblit with them. 

And now, he had to leave them. Not because they had to leave him like they were destined to, no but the other way around. Fuck, it hurt so much. He wanted to stay so badly; he wanted to hear Hanji make fun of his height, or tease Mike for sniffing the air weirdly, or see Moblit get so drunk off his ass he just laughs at anything and everything. 

Levi banged the door to his apartment open, slamming it closed. He ran into his room, throwing open his closets and drawers. A suitcase was splayed open on his bed, and clothes were getting tossed haphazardly, some making it into the black luggage, others falling beside it. 

It was only when his phone rang, loud and shrill, that he realized he was shaking. He pocketed his phone, realizing it was Hanji. Their photo was bright on the screen, a blazing, wide smile and peace signs thrown up. To think he'd never get to see that smile again. Fuck. He took a three deep breaths before answering.

"What is it, Shitty Glasses?" 

Shit, his voice came out shakier than intended. Lucky for him, Hanji didn't seem to notice.

"JOE! Get your short midget ass to the café right now! Where are you? You never miss your morning coffee!" 

Levi smiled, and his eyes burned once more. "Something came up. I couldn't come this morning. You don't have to be a fucking nuisance about it."

"Well I needed to make sure you weren't dying or anything!" They said matter of factly, and Levi held back a snort. If only they knew. 

"Hey Hanji?" 

"What's up shortstack? Everything alright?"

Levi hesitated, biting his lip. "Uh, nothing. Everything's fine. Just um," he's never been good at goodbye's, "you're a good person. Moblit and Mike too."

The line was silent for a moment, "Joe? What's going on?" 

"Jeez, you never clean your ears do you, Four Eyes? I already said nothing. I just wanted to let you know that," Levi somehow managed to get out without choking up. They were his family. He knew this day would come. He just didn't expect it so soon. 

"You're awfully sentimental this morning... I think you should stop getting coffee more often; I could get used to all these compliments," Hanji laughed and Levi couldn't help but to chuckle with them.

"Don't get used to it, Shitty Glasses," He retorted, gripping the phone tightly against his ear, trying to memorize their breaths; to imprint the sound into his brain before he left.

A ding came from the other line, "oh! Got customers to serve, Joe, sorry. I have your coffee waiting for you, though. Come down when you get the chance, 'kay? See ya then, bye!"

They hung up.

"Bye, Hanji," Levi whispered, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

How stupid. Crying over a day that had been inevitable since the moment he set foot into Boston.

He continued packing hastily, feeling more grounded than before. He was just about to trash his phone when there was a knock at his door. His eyebrows furrowed. Hanji was working at the cafe and he knew Moblit and Mike were on vacation in the Bahamas. 

Levi stared at the front door cautiously, eyes narrowed and pulse racing. He approached it slowly, jumping a little when the knock came again. It was strong and firm, two knocks to make their prescence known. 

He looked through the peek hole and ocean blue eyes stared back at him. Fuck.

"I know you're there, Joe Turner. Open up. We need to talk." A deep voice behind the door spoke.

Double fuck.

Should he just jump out the window? He lives on the thirteenth floor, so it would believable that he died. Of course he wouldn't, but he'd be unconscious for at least thirty minutes; a reasonable amount of time to be claimed dead. 

"I can see the shadow of your feet from beneath the door."

Triple fuck.

With a heavy sigh, Levi unlocked the door and opened it. There stood the man from before, blond hair messily tousled and blue eyes sparkling with excitement, though his expression remained neutral— even a bit business-like.

"Hello, I'm Erwin Smith, and I'd love to research your immortality."

Quadruple fuck. 

Maybe he will just jump out the window, and see if Erwin would just let this whole immortality thing go. He probably won't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahh, new fic. i legit don’t know what made me get over my writers block but ever since then, i’ve been writing like crazy.
> 
> also, this was totally unedited. sorry !!! i could really use a beta if anyone’s interested; please reach out to me via my instagram. it’s the same username as on here. 
> 
> i already have chapter two written so that’ll be up at some point this week. but yeah, hope you guys are liking it so far :) let me know what you guys think by leaving a comment. i’d love to hear some feedback! stay safe mwah


	2. Chapter 2

"I call it the Everlasting Affect." 

"Named after _Tuck Everlasting,_ I presume?" Erwin took a sip from his tea. 

The two men were sitting on Levi's couch across from each other in his cramped living room. Levi said he wouldn't talk about anything until he had some sort of caffeine in him. Erwin agreed, asking for whatever the man was making. 

"I never offered, you asshole."

"But you didn't not offer either."

And that's how Levi found himself here with a cup of tea in his shaking hand. He snuck some lavender into his drink, hopefully a remedy that would calm him down. He thinks his mother used to do that. He wasn't sure though, that was a long time ago. 

"Would you look at that? Maybe you do have some brains if you were able to make that connection," The raven rolled his eyes.

Erwin only smiled in amusement, "a fan of literature, Joe?" His eyes gazed at the bookshelf stacked with books, old and new.

"Considering I was Shakespeare, yeah."

A pause. "You were Shakespeare?”

Levi snorted, "no, but it would've been a fucking riot if I was. I knew the man, though."

"That brings me to my next question... how long have you been alive?" Erwin asked, leaning foward in interest.

Levi thought for a moment. "Since year 900, I believe. Give or take a few years. It's been a long fucking time. Too long."

Erwin's lips parted, a shaky breath leaving his mouth. "That's... amazing. There must've been so much you've seen and learned!"

"Yeah, it was a real fucking party. Watching my friends and family die and having to live without them."

Erwin was silent, his eyebrows drawing together. Levi took that as his chance to turn the tables around. "How'd you even find me, anyway? You some sort of stalker or something?"

"I'm an important man, Joe. I've got my ways." 

Levi rolled his eyes. So much detail, really. "It's Levi. And you must be if someone was trying to fucking kill you."

"Of course! You must have went through multiple identities. Who were you originally?" Erwin queried in fascination.

Levi grimaced. Who was he originally? Isn't he still Levi Ackerman? Short, crude, and anti-social Levi Ackerman? Or did that fit Joe Turner? Maybe it was Henry Karten from fifty years back? 

"Levi Ackerman. Still am," He responded, though he didn't sound so sure. 

Erwin nodded, keeping eye contact as he took another sip of his tea. "You were crying."

Levi almost dropped his cup. “No. And even if I was it was because some asshole found out a secret of mine and threatened my safety."

"Ah yes, I apologize for that. I definitely could have prevented those tears. However, I have a proposition for you." 

"Hm, and what's that?"

"Let me research you and your immortality." Erwin said, his voice calculating and strong.

This was exactly what Levi didn't want. It was what he's been avoiding ever since he stopped aging. He didn't want to be someone's lab rat; the thought of being poked, prodded, and split open made him sick. 

"No."

"You didn't even hear about your end of the bargain," Erwin pointed out and lifted his mug to his lips. 

"And what do I get out of it?" Levi humored him, tucking his shaking hands beneath his crossed legs. His tea was long forgotten, placed on the table with a tremor. Two had drops spilled.

"I'll figure out a way to kill you."

Levi stared, blank eyes boring into calculating ones; the ocean orbs scanning his face, analyzing his reaction. Then, he laughed. His body shook and his shoulder trembled, the sound filling the tense atmosphere.

"What's so funny?" Erwin couldn't help but to ask.

"You really think you can kill me, blondie?" Levi asked between chuckles.

"Yes, I believe so."

"Yeah, dream on. I've been trying to off myself for a thousand years and yet here I am, alive and breathing. It's not going to work so stop wasting your breath on a such a ridiculous offer, because I won't accept."

"What if I told you that figuring out the reason for your immortality could cure thousands of diseases, even cancer?" Erwin threw up into the air.

Levi's eyes narrowed into slits, "I would _never_ wish this curse onto anyone else, you hear me."

"I'm not saying they would become immortal. I'm saying that it could help with medicine and treatment."

Levi bit his lip, thinking of Izzy from 1905 who was diagnosed with cancer at age nineteen. She didn't make it to twenty. 

"And you're confident that you can find a way to kill me?" Levi questioned, silver locking onto blue.

"I wouldn't be asking you this if I wasn't." 

Levi sighed, "alright. You have yourself a deal, then."

Erwin smiled, holding his hand out, "I'm happy to hear that, Mr. Ackerman. I look forward to working with you."

Levi took the firm grasp, "yeah, whatever. Just make sure that when you kill me, I stay dead."

"I will." The blond man stated resolutely. To him, it was a fact. To Levi, it was false hope. He still clung onto to it, wishing that this would be the final attempt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> very short chapter, sorry !! it was just right to end it there, i feel. not sure when chapter three will be up, considering i haven’t even started writing it. 
> 
> anyway, hope you all enjoyed. stay safe <3


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